“It’s similar but I don’t feel like we have to do anything, other than get another big body,” Ainge said. “But I don’t think we have to make a trade at all.”

So much depends on the next 48 hours and only part of it has to do with Thursday’s trade deadline. Ainge is scheduled to fly back to Boston on Tuesday where he will consult with Chris Wilcox and the doctors who are conducting cardiac tests on the forward. Ainge will also talk with Jermaine O’Neal who is contemplating wrist surgery that could potentially end his season.

If they can play, Ainge can ride this season out and start rebuilding over the summer with his cap space and his draft picks intact. If they can’t, something will have to be done. It may not be a trade, but the Celtics can't continue with just three big men.

“No one wants to give up bigs that can help you win,” Ainge said. “But we need an extra big body at some point, depending on the results. If Chris and Jermaine can play, that changes things.”

The Celtics are holding on in the middle with an undersized center, a smallish four and a journeyman rookie. Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass and Greg Stiemsma played valiantly in a loss to the Lakers and made a tough, physical stand against the Lob City Clippers in a much-needed 94-85 win. There were five technicals, two double-technicals and more than a few shoving matches and staredowns.

Said Pierce, “This was our kind of game.”

It didn't start out that way. The Clippers caught them on their heels, but once things settled down the Celtics found themselves in familiar territory, albeit with fewer bodies to throw at the problem.

“They came out and played out of their character a little bit. Tough and rough and whatever and whatever,” Garnett said. “We watched film a lot on these guys and that was totally uncharacteristic of how they play. They’re not known for bar-style. They’re more finesse and dunks and all that. We knew what it was. We’ve been in these types of games countless times and kept our composure for the most part.”

Doc Rivers was determined to limit Garnett’s minutes after he battled with Andrew Bynum over 35 grueling minutes on Sunday, but Bass spent the game in foul trouble and Garnett racked up another 34 minutes of time. At one point, Mickael Pietrus was drafted into playing the big forward spot opposite Blake Griffin.

The Celtics have received more than they could have ever hoped for from Stiemsma this season and he’s shaken off the mid-season cobwebs and given them energy, toughness and an occasional jumper. But Stiemsma is having problems with his right foot. He left Staples in a walking boot on Sunday. “It’s just precautionary,” he said.

“He’s not doing great [physically], but we don’t have another option right now,” Rivers said before the Clippers game. “The one thing I told him if it gets to a point where you just can’t play then you have to tell us. Other than that you have to play injured. We don’t have another body.”

Stiemsma answered the challenge on Monday, butting heads with Griffin and standing his ground. Perhaps it was Griffin’s way of challenging a long ago blocked shot in a summer league. Whatever it was, Stiemsma wasn’t backing down.

“Right out of the gate it kind of started right when I got in,” he said. “Whatever it was, I can leave things on the floor. Whatever it is, I’m not worried about it.”

Rivers praised his backup center, noting “The mean Stiemsma,” came to play, which is what they need every single night while Ainge tries to make sense of the roster.

Rivers has challenged his team to play faster and tougher to cover for their lack of size. He needs the guards to rebound like forwards and the swing men to hit the glass like bigs. They’re switching more on defense, which is anathema to this defensive-minded team, but they’ve accepted the challenge and responded. Still, it’s a slippery slope they’re on right now. Asked if the lack of big men made his job harder at the deadline, Ainge wouldn’t bite.

“That’s just part of it. It makes KG’s and Brandon’s jobs harder and Doc’s job harder,” Ainge said. “We have to play different. We’ll have to find ways to win in different ways.”

The rumors surrounding Rajon Rondo and Pau Gasol haven’t gone away, especially out here where they made their way into Monday’s edition of the Los Angeles Times, but the Celtics are still denying them. Sure, Gasol would help them now but it doesn’t make sense in the bigger picture that Ainge has painstakingly constructed over the last three years.

They’ve been asked about the deadline constantly since they touched down in Los Angeles. Ainge’s plan may be familiar in Boston, but out here people seemed shocked that there’s another way out of this besides an earth-shattering trade.

“I don’t worry about the trade deadline,” Rivers said after yet another question. “It’s coming. It’s nothing I’m going to do about it. I think our guys don’t worry about it a lot. They only get asked about it 15, 20, 30 times a day, so that’s it. I don’t think it bothers them that much. If you’re human it bothers you a little bit. A lot of the guys have been through it. As a coach I can’t wait until Friday.”

The next 48 hours will help settle a lot of unanswered questions before the big one finally gets resolved.

“It might depend on how Greg plays over the next little while and how we can hold down the fort,” Ainge said. “We need another big body for sure. We need another big body at some point.”

Flannery joins Mut to break down the Isaiah Thomas trade to Boston and what it means for the Celtics this season and in the future. Paul also chats with Mut about the other deals that happened at the NBA's trading deadline

In the second of Sunday Skate, DJ and Joe discuss the approaching NHL trade deadline and what the B's will do. They get into the Boychuk move at the beginning of the season and Boychuk's brother venting on Twitter this morning about complaining B's fans. There is more discussion on the 3rd and 4th lines, their playoff chances and then they are joined by ESPN's Scott Burnside.

Another edition of Sunday Skate is upon us and DJ and Joe get into the B's big win over Arizona last night and the improvement of Ryan Spooner. They get into the Blackhawks giving up a 1st round pick for C Antoine Vermette - someone the B's could certainly use but weren't willing to give up the steep price of a 1st rounder. DJ and Joe also get into Claude's willingness to switch up lines as well as the performance of the 3rd and 4th lines. Finally, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman sits down with the boys.

In today's Three For All, Tim talks about Sharknado 3, Christian talks about Lakers Guard Nick Young's beef with SportsCenter Anchor Robert Flores, and Lou talks about a high school basketball team that was disqualified from the playoffs for wearing breast cancer awareness jerseys.

With free agency looming, Adam Schefter, on Sportscenter, said that he thinks Darrelle Revis will NOT be re-signed by the Patriots and that they will cut him instead, making him the most coveted free agent on the market.